Five Angels Prospect Trade Chips

I’m guessing by the title you’re thinking to yourself: “Not a fun article to write.” And I wouldn’t blame you for that. The Angels possess a farm system that, in comparison to others, is generally devoid of valuable minor league talent that can be swapped for major league upgrades.

That being said, this isn’t a system completely without value. There are quite a few interesting names that we could see pop up at the trade deadline or even next winter. Just because they aren’t rated highly by people making Top 10 and Top 100 lists, does not mean major league scouts and organizations aren’t taking notice of these kids.

Here are five Angels prospects who could find themselves garnering trade interest this summer:

Jake Jewell – RHP

Jewell is not having a great go of it as a starter, be he still excites scouts with the way his stuff might play up as a reliever. Blessed with a mid-90’s fastball and assortment of sweeping, cutting, sinking, and rising off-speed pitches to go along with a deceptive arm angle, Jewell could find himself being quietly coveted in trade conversations.

Kyle McGowin – RHP

Kyle has made his way up to Double-A and, after a spectacular showing in the second half of last season, he’s primed again for a run at being the Angels’ top starting pitching prospect. Some scouts thought he’d work better in relief, and some still hold to that notion, but the Angels believe that McGowin’s mechanics are repeatable enough to help him maintain his velocity and command late into games.

Kyle works with a 92-95 mph fastball with a filthy slider and a change-up that’s hit or miss. There’s a been some focus on his change-up as of late, so perhaps improvement will come. In any case, teams may value McGowin as a buy-low candidate, because if things break right he could turn into a mid-rotation starter in the major leagues. Worst-case scenario, he makes an interesting big-league reliever.

Victor Alcantara – RHP

The Angels still insist on using him as a starter, and every once in a while you see why. In his first game of this season, he hurled six shutout innings, walking only one and striking out eight. Then again, in his second start he didn’t make it out of the fourth and walked six while striking out none. He’s this volatile while working from a modified windup, which is just a fancy way of saying the stretch, so hoping Alcantara might things under control by simplifying his motion is a nonstarter.

During spring training the Angels chose to use him as a reliever, which almost everybody and their mother pictures as his most likely future. Alcantara can hit triple digits with regularity if he doesn’t care about control, and he can sit in the high-90’s if he doesn’t care about hitting his spots. But if he wants to put the ball in a specific spot, he dials his fastball down into the 94-96 range, which is still pretty good. Alcantara has a good slider and a better change-up than most think, so it makes sense that he’s been given so many chances to start. But his likeliest path to majors is that of a reliever pumping high octane and shutting down the opposition. He’d be highly coveted in this role.

Jett Bandy – C

Carlos Perez and Geovany Soto are currently 1-2 on the Angels catching depth chart, and the club’s top prospect, Taylor Ward, is a catcher who figures to not need much time in the minors. Bandy will likely take over as the other half of the catching platoon in the majors either this season or next, but even after that it may only be another year or two before Ward arrives.

Bandy comes with “plus” athleticism, glowing reports from his pitchers, a decent approach at the plate, and some pop in his bat. It’s easy to see why other teams may see him as a prime candidate to be plucked in a trade. Right now, Bandy looks like a fringe starting catcher in the majors or a really good platoon partner or backup. Either way, there’s value here.

Kyle Kubitza – INF/OF

Kubitza was acquired and touted as the future Angels third baseman, but sometimes things don’t go according to plan. Kubitza has the athleticism to play third base, but the refinement needs some work. His bat and plate discipline make him look like he’ll be a quality starting option in the majors, yet in his small sample sizes at the top level he looked lost.

The result is we’re now seeing Kubitza play predominantly second base and left field. Along with his ability to play third (and first in a pinch, too), he could market himself as an offensive minded utility player.  And other teams may view him like that too. Or they may view him as a standard starter with some upside.  Whatever the case, he looks better than a player that will be in AAA for the rest of his career. That holds value.